Some of you have been asking about craft vending on Jam Cruise,
so here is a proposal we're working on, this still needs to get final
approval from Imperial Majesty Cruise Lines. Vending has always
been a part of the Jam Band Scene so we felt we should try and
bring it on the boat. If you are interested please get in touch soon.

Captain Toast - mark t.

Jam Cruise
We are currently considering a small Vendor's Row on
Jam Cruise I & II. This "Shakedown Street" will consist
of up to 10 spots for select juried Handcrafted Items &
Artwork. The proposed area is on Pool Deck in the en-
closed air-conditioned promenade. We are trying to
hook you up w/ a 1-table / booth in a 8' long x 6'deep
spot. You will still need to purchase cabin space and the
vending fee will be 25% of gross sales. All items will
need to be inventoried in & out for customs & the ship.
There is not a lot of x-tra room on the ship so we're
asking that you minimize the quantity of items and
maximize the QUALITY. T-shirts and novelty stuff
can be purchased from Jam Cruise Official Merch & the
Ship Store so we ask that your submissions be of the
creative kind that you can only find on the "SCENE"
If interested please send me an e-mail with a description
of your goods.

It sounds very cool But would you believe that we have NEVER been to a festival that we haven't vended? Hubby says this one is for play, not work, but it's hard to be an artist and pass up any vending opportunities, lol

It sounds very cool But would you believe that we have NEVER been to a festival that we haven't vended? Hubby says this one is for play, not work, but it's hard to be an artist and pass up any vending opportunities, lol

lol, we said the same thing.... BUT, if there were set times to vend and we weren't expected to have the shop set up the whole cruise.....

moonmamamel, I would pick up one of those hemp tanks from you in a heartbeat....

Judy, I just checked out your site & it is *beautiful*! I especially love the poster for the Tibetan Monks! It's a small world... We actually live on the grounds of the Tibetan Culutral Center in Bloomington (www.tibetancc.com) and are good friends with the touring Gomang Monks!!!

Jeff is my hubby's name too, and we are full-time vendors, but after a not-so-great summer, and a lot of burn out, we'd love to take a vacation!

I don't vend but I think 25% of the Gross is way to much to be taking out of these people's pockets.

Well, all I can say is that if you never vend, then you probably aren't aware of what the costs are for vendors. If we put prints in galleries, it costs us 30%, so Jeff and I are more than happy to pay 25% to the good Jam Cruise people if they allow us to display some of our prints.

The fees for legal vending at shows usually runs anywhere from $100-800, which typically ends up being around 20-35% of the total earned. It's just the cost of doing business.

Oh, and I love your Yonder posters! (Another small world thing... The boys in Yonder are our good buddies, especially Mr. Austin who I have known since I was 17 )

It IS a small world!! This cruise is going to be so much fun!

We love them YMSB boyz - they were very instrumental in the direction Drowning Creek Studio has taken this year, unbeknownst to them.

This summer was rough on a lot of vendors. So many fests and so many got rained out or cancelled. We don't vend full time... actually just started again this past summer. Mikio let us put prints in his booth at Bonnaroo and Vibes so we could test the waters to decide if we wanted to buy a tent and stuff.

Thanks for the compliments on the posters... they are our lives. We practically live in the studio now, lol!

The fees for legal vending at shows usually runs anywhere from $100-800, which typically ends up being around 20-35% of the total earned. It's just the cost of doing business.

Or even more! We paid a LOT(!!!) more than that at Bonnaroo... Some of my friends who also vend came up with a formula that works well... You should make about 10 times your booth fee to make it really worth it. This formula actually works pretty well (for set booth fees) since you also have to factor in traveling expenses, costs in your merchandise, paying a staff, etc. (In other words, there are a LOT of costs in addition to your booth fee before you can look at profits). Obviously it doesn't always work out to be 10 times, lol... I wish we'd made 10 times what we paid for Bonnaroo, hehe! 25% is pretty average for consignment in stores and stuff, and since this would basically be consignment, that percentage makes sense. Most festivals who take a percentage take between 15 & 20%, atleast in our experience. The cool thing about doing percentages is that you don't have to stress as much... When you pay a set vending fee, you are worrying constantly until you make the fee back, and then you can chill a little

This last summer was a weird one... I actually just wrote an article for the Stitchin' Bitches newsletter where I interviewed a bunch of this summers vendors on why it was such a tough summer. The concesus seemed to be the poor economy, the huge amount of smaller festivals (vs just a few bigger ones), and the overabundance of vendors, especially "unauthorized vendors" (i.e. people who set us in the campground at festivals when there are paying vendors inside). Who really knows... Let's just hope next summer is different!

Wow, moonmamamel, that's actually a pretty good formula. There's a LOT of expenses involved with vending. That's why we wanted to start off slow this summer. Mikio was a doll to help us out... he and Jeff have been friends for years.... and any friend of Mikio's is considered family in this household!!

We also made the decision, since we aren't dependent on vending, that we would utilize vending as a way to advertise our business and have mini working "vacations" to get us out of the shop frequently. So far, not having any expectations has worked for us, lol. However, it's been difficult watching our friends who DO depend on vending deal with some of the events of the summer like shakedown at Bonnaroo and Terrapin canceling shows.

Definitely Shakedown played a big part in Bonnaroo vendors hurting. Most of the kids who attended probably didn't grasp that the vendors outside weren't the real vendors who paid to set up inside. They spent their $$ before they even got in the gates. Hopefully next year will be better.

Definitely Shakedown played a big part in Bonnaroo vendors hurting. Most of the kids who attended probably didn't grasp that the vendors outside weren't the real vendors who paid to set up inside. They spent their $$ before they even got in the gates. Hopefully next year will be better.

Actually- I used to be in marketing and I can say this-- its all about perception.

I have this observation-- people prefer shopping on Shakedown. They like buying in the campgrounds-- It has little to do with quality, or price-- or not knowing who the real vendors are-- its ATMOSPHERE.

I've been to Bonnaroo the past 2 years and perused the vending in camgrounds, but have yet to visit the organized vending. And I know there's some great stuff in there. And I know you guys paid money to be there.

I know that may sound stupid-- but I think its true for many festival goers. I didn't really sit in my car for 12 hours then walk 2 miles to SHOP. And if I'm gonna be cramming my grouchy stinky unshowered self up next to some happy unshowered stranger-- there better be some pretty kick ass band on stage to make me feel more friendly.

But if I can shop on my way to a great show-- then I will buy the things I like. I'm not really comparison shopping or price matching (but lets keep that a secret, okay ). Plus, if I pick it up on the way back to camp-- I don't have to lug my goods all over the place.

I think vendors would have much more success if they could talk Big festival (eg Bonnaroo) organizers into dispersing the vending. That is, splitting it up into several groups just outside the Centeroo entrance. While that may cause problems (i.e. running electricity) I think you guys would get a better return on your investment.

Also- like I said, its about perception. My thoughts regarding the people in the festival scene, are that many tend to be anti-corporation, anti-big business etc. etc. Seriously- Clear Channel fans? Anyone? Yeah, not many. And while most vendors (I assume) are small operations-- paying vendors are a larger operation than non-paying. Or at least appear to be. By that, I mean-- if all other things (price, quality, originality, merchandise) are equal-- people on the festival scene have a greater desire to purchase items from two hippie chicks selling shirts out of the trunk of their car, than from the two hippie chicks standing inside a tent with collapsable garment racks and printed price tags.

Its the same deal that people LOVE to buy shit at yard sales and thrift stores. They love the thrill, the hunt, and the idea that its a bargain (whether or not it is). And don't even get me started on EBAY. . . (Can I please wait 4 days to purchase that thing at full price+4%+shipping because some doofus in nutsville didn't see it on sale in last year's catalog?) And I thought I was gonna get a deal- sheesh!Thats just my two cents. I say it because I want ALL of you guys to do well-- I applaud artists & entreprenuers (my fiance IS one)

And lord knows I LOVE coming home with new treasures . . .

Hope that perspective is helpful in your quest for financial security in these turbulent times. Take Care.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum